1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an ironing board containing a top supported by at least one leg with two sections hinged to one another and, more particularly, relates to an ironing board in which a hinge allows the lower leg segment to pivot between an unfolded position, in which the lower segment forms an extension of the upper leg segment, and a folded position, in which the lower segment is folded in the direction of the upper segment.
2. Prior Art
European patent filing no. 1 848 852 discloses an ironing board that has a top supported by two legs arranged in the shape of an x, where one of the legs includes two sections hinged to one another to allow the lower leg segment to pivot between an unfolded position, in which the lower segment forms an extension of the upper leg segment, and a folded position, in which the lower segment is folded in the direction of the upper segment.
In that document, the hinge is equipped with a recall mechanism to hold the lower segment in a folded or unfolded position to eliminate any movement thereof when the ironing board is used in an open or closed position.
However, such a hinge has a disadvantage in that it results in abrupt leg movements when the recall mechanisms is activated, which may injure the user, in particular, by pinching the user's fingers when the leg is folded.
UK patent GB 449 441 discloses an ironing board with a top supported by one leg with two sections hinged to one another to allow the lower leg segment to pivot between an unfolded and folded position; the hinge contains a locking mechanism to lock the lower segment in an unfolded position and a unlocking button to deactivate the locking mechanism.
However, such an ironing board has the disadvantage of not being ergonomic to use in that it is difficult to unlock the leg since the locking button is not always visible to the user due to its position on the ironing board.
Also, an object of this invention is to remedy these disadvantages by proposing an ironing board equipped with legs that have an improved hinge that provides greater ease of use. Another object of this invention is to provide an ironing board that is simple and economic to implement.